Hammocks are one of those things that sound better in theory than they really are. I used to always wish for a hammock to lounge around in and then when we finally got one, I discovered I didn’t like it all that much. For one thing, you keep it outside usually so the bugs and spiders get all over it. For another thing, it’s outside so you have to remember to keep reapplying the sunscreen and hope you don’t fall in sleep in it and wake up a lobster. But. There is something very romantic about the idea of spending a lazy summer afternoon reading in a hammock. And with the 4th of July, the height of summer right around the corner, this week’s Reading Spaces is dedicated to the humble and romantic hammock, no matter how impractical they may actually turn out to be!

All images via Houzz